Search This Blog

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

A line beyond all lines

Do you ever have those days when your child/children just don't cooperate with your schedule? Of course you do... if you're a mom.

It seems like a daily occurence, doesn't it?

Well, on this particular day, Nathan had slept in until 9 am. We had no place to be, so the sleeping was just fine with me. We normally would have been out the door already to go to BSF, but I knew he was getting sick and I was planning to take him to the doctor anyways.

We did finally go to the doctor at 11 and, as we had suspected, a nasty group a streptacoccus had taken up residency in his throat.

So after leaving the doctor's office, a couple of errands and dropping off his perscription, we went home to eat some lunch and have a nap before heading back out to pick Sarah up from school at 3.

When 2:20 rolled around and he still wasn't asleep for his nap, I was frustrated. But let it not be said of me that I'm not flexible. I knew at this point I didn't want him to fall asleep because we were going to have to leave to go pick up Sarah real soon. So we went on ahead to the grocery store and to pick up his prescription and we'd pick Sarah up on our way home.

So by the time we finished at the store and were on our way to the school, it was only 2:45. School's not out until 3, but there didn't seem to be any point in going home to just turn right back around.


Please understand that I'm usually leaving work at 3 to pick her up. So I'm not normally there until 3:15. Which is fine because the school has asked that people wait a little while and reminded us several times at the beginning of the year that we have until 3:20 to pick the children up.

So looking at the time I thought, "WOW, I'll be like the first one in line. Sarah will be SO surprised."

Boy was I wrong.




Seriously people. I got there at 2:45. Why on earth are there so many people in line?

I will say that it's a fairly well-oiled machine. Once the kids are out there, it moves pretty quick. I had Sarah in the car and we were on our way by 3:05.

But good grief. I know that people end up in the same situation I did with not having time to go home or do anything before school is out. But my understanding is that this is not a one time occurence. I think it's like this every stinkin' day.

I'll stick to my 3:15 time-slot that consists of just driving right up, thankyouverymuch.

What is pick-up like at your kids' school?

6 Comments:

Cristel said...

I have also been completely boggled by why people get there so stinkin' early to wait for 15-20 minutes in their car when they could just wait the extra 15-20 minutes at home. I've chosen to give them the benefit of the doubt and believe that this many people find themselves in your type of situation on a daily basis. But really it seriously confuses me why they all sit there for that long. We don't leave our house until 3! On the days I pick up Eva at 2:30 and don't want to go home we stop at Sonic for 1/2 price drinks and just hang out there for a bit. We've gotten to know one of the carhops. Sheila. She's sweet. Way better than sitting in line behind someone's SUV!

Brittany said...

Our school gets out at 2:15. I almost always go early. B is the usually the first class out the door. If I don't go early, she stands there for quite a while. Now, I don't care if she stands there is the weather is beautiful, but we live in Illinois and most of the school year it's cold and or windy, and or rainy. I usually leave the other 2 kids at home (depends on if hubby is home from work yet or not) and I spend that 30 min before school is out reading a book in PEACE AND QUIET!!! I also use that time to sometimes do my bible study. So, that crazy mom sitting in line 30 min ahead of time....it's me reading. So, leave me alone! It's the only quiet time of the day that I get! :)

Pam said...

Crazy. I thought I would be 'early' on the first day of school. haha. Now I just park across the street and wait for her to come out.. she's a straggler, so it works out well for me. I just go right in and get her and the big herd is gone. But yeah.. its NUTS!

Anonymous said...

Ok so I'm a line waiter! I can't wait to explain why!! When we had our kids in Public school and since they are sooooo mean to them whil they are waiting, and really I am not exagerating about my kids old school, they would scream at them, I would take my Bible study and get in line at 230...when we replaced public school with charter school, the pick up situation got extremely complicated...Not just drive up and park but plan your day around it or your stuck 1 hour picking them up..stinking picking them up! Not to mention the 30 minutes there and back it took to drive to the crazy school!thats two hours of time and since I had to be to the dance studio at 4 ready to teach, I would have to get in line at 2:00 When they didn't get out until 3:30...Well as of this week, I am a homeschool mom of three kids. So I no longer wait in any lines...To God be all the Glory!

Anonymous said...

My kids are homeschooled. But I did pick up my god-daughter, Izzy, from school to stay with us for Christmas break last year. Oh me, oh my. And because I am not the typical picker upper, I actually had to park and go in to show ID. Eeeewowie!

I hear ya...

Gayle @ thewestiecrew said...

I homeschool, so I don't have to deal with this, BUT, I take my daughter to ballet once a week at a private school and I am always amazed at how long people sit in line...AND how insanely long said line is...WOW!